Lemony Orzo Pasta Salad with Cucumber and Feta

After some major flight delays, getting rerouted several times due to weather, and missing my last connection, I managed to finagle my way onto a final flight and make it safely to Santa Barbara last night. Needless to say, traveling for some eighteen-odd hours can be exhausting. Between the stress of flight timing, generally subpar dining options, and dehydrating, recirculating air, a full day of flying doesn’t often leave one feeling their best.

Cue this light and refreshing pasta salad. Bright, lemony orzo pasta is tossed with fresh cucumber, herbs and salty feta for an easy summer salad that makes a great barbecue or pot-luck side dish. This is what I should have brought with me on the plane, instead of consuming the limp, tasteless airport salad and bag of peanut butter m&m’s that sufficed for sustenance en route yesterday. This healthy and flavorful pasta dish would be equally delicious alongside some grilled burgers or fish this Memorial Day weekend, or as a mid-flight snack on my return trip!

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orzo al dente according to package directions (about 9 minutes). Drain the pasta, let cool for a couple of minutes, and toss with the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, cucumber, herbs and feta.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve chilled or at room-temperature. Can be made up to a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

Did you make this recipe?

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links pays me a small referral fee at no added cost to you. These tiny fees add up, and help keep the blog running. Thank you for supporting Fork Knife Swoon!

Still Hungry? You'll Love These:

Never Miss a Recipe!

Make this recipe? Let us know what you think!

Comment Policy: Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! The most helpful comments include recipe feedback and ratings, along with information on ingredients you may have added or substituted, or advice to other commenters. Disrespectful or abusive comments will be deleted. I do my best to respond to each and every comment, but it may take me a day or two to get back to your question. Thank you so much for following along!

82 Comments

Eileen

July 25, 2018 at 3:02 am

Awesome Awesome Awesome Recipe!!! I have made it probably 20 times with different variations depending on what I have on hand. Sometimes I throw in tiny diced zuchinni to bulk up the veggies (it is virtually flavorless) either raw or I drop it in the cooking pasta water for the last minute to soften it a tad. I have used basil when I have no mint/parsley, throw in cherry tomatoes sometimes, with or without feta and I also cook the orzo in chicken broth. It adds so much flavor for me. Sometimes we just eat this for dinner with a grilled chicken breast. Wonderful recipe thanks so much!